The Letter
by magickat
Summary: This is a Piper fic. A mysterious box shows up in the attic while Piper is cleaning and she finds a letter addressed to her, but writen in the past. Set after her marriage.
1. The Mysterious Box

Piper was sitting on the floor of the attic going through a box that she found while she was cleaning the attic. She had never seen this box before, nor had she even slightly noticed it. The mysterious box held many things Piper never knew could be hidden so well. So far, she had found some medical tools, a mysterious diary, some scrubs, and a silver heart- shaped locket. She figured that these were all Leo's possessions from when he was a doctor. She didn't open the diary, but she slipped it and the locket into her deep pockets so she could inspect them later.  
  
She was about to close the box and finish her cleaning when a sparkling object at the bottom of the box caught her eye. She dug it out and found it was a white gold ring with a central diamond on it, but what interested her the most was that, rolled up in a tiny scroll was a piece of old paper. She slipped the paper out of the ring and unrolled it. When she read who it was to, she caught her breath.  
  
It read:  
  
My dearest Piper,  
  
Life on the battlefield is getting harsh. More and more men have been killed, and I can't help them at all. I have tried to save as many lives as I can, but my efforts cannot prevent the inevitable. I have to say that that the efforts of our men are proving to be futile. We seem to be losing the war worse than ever imaginable. The boys are giving up hope and want to quit, but they know that every time they quit trying, they are killing one more innocent soul.  
  
But this letter is not for telling you about the war. I am finally admitting to you that I love you and wish that I was with you, but you already knew that didn't you? I know that it is practically impossible for us because of our backgrounds and who we are and what our families think, but I love you anyways. You don't know how hard this is for me to do, but yes, Piper Halliwell, I love you more than anything. The boys laugh at me every night when I kiss your picture before I go to sleep. Piper, I know this isn't how it is supposed to work, and I know that I am supposed to be with you and bend down on one knee, but right now, as I am writing this letter, I am on one knee. Piper Halliwell, love of my life, will you give me the honor and pleasure of becoming my wife? Take this ring and wear it for the rest of your life, even if I don't come back. That is, if you accept my proposal. Piper, I love you more than ever. The battle has started again so I must go for now, but Piper, I do love you.  
  
Love forever,  
  
Leo  
  
P.S. Burn this letter after you read it.  
  
Piper reached for the ring and slipped it into the pocket with the diary and the locket. She closed up the box with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe how much Leo loved her, or maybe just the past her, even back then. Maybe, she thought, maybe he was talking to the NOW me. How could he have known? Well, it has MY name on it so I guess he WAS talking to the NOW me. But how? She got up, put the box off to the side, and went downstairs to think of what she had just found. I think I will talk to Leo about this, she thought. 


	2. The Diary

Okay, if you guys are actually going to r & r, then, I guess I will write a little more, but don't expect much!  
  
*****  
  
Piper walked downstairs and went into her room for a little "Piper" time. She reached down into her pocket and read the letter again. 'I really wonder if this is for the NOW me or a DIFFERENT me,' she thought, 'I guess I should ask Leo about it, but he might think I was prying into his past life.' She took out the locket and tried to open it.  
  
"Open, you stupid thing. Open!" she said out loud.  
  
She finally got the locket open and saw a picture of Leo on one side and a black-and-white picture of her on the other. In the picture, she was wearing a '40s dress and apron, and her hair was in '40s style. 'Weird,' she thought, 'it looks like me, but it can't be. I wasn't alive back then and I have met Leo's "wife," well his old one that is.' She smiled at the thought of this. She was the wife of the man of her dreams, and nothing had, would, or could get in the way of that.  
  
She dug into the deep pockets of the apron again and found the diary that was in the box. 'I know I shouldn't read this,' she thought, 'but I really want to know why my name was in that letter. Hum, I guess I just will and see what happens.'  
  
She opened the diary to somewhere in the middle, and read the date. 'July 28, 1943,' it read. 'Hum,' thought Piper, 'that was in WWII. So I guess I will just read this entry and see where it leads me to.'  
  
  
  
  
  
'July 28, 1943,  
  
I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt a of a girl with mousse brown hair and deep brown eyes was in trouble. She was trying to ward off an evil looking green monster by herself, and she was loosing terribly. I ran over to her to help her out of the way so it would stop hurting her. When I got close enough to touch her, I grab her by the arm and tried to run out of the way, but the evil green thing tried to use some sort of power and it almost hit us, but, some how, we were transported to a glowing white place.  
  
One of the people in this white place called my name and said, "Leo, you know that witches aren't allowed to be up here."  
  
I replied that I was sorry and we were transported into a manor in a small neighborhood surrounded by trees. The young woman thanked me by my name, though I had never met, nor seen her before. I called her "Piper" and she responded by giving me a soft kiss on the cheek and said that I was the best husband in the world. I am confused now because I have never met this girl in my life, yet she seems so familiar. And also, I already have a wife and this "Piper" isn't her. With all of this, I feel that in my dream, I was in love with her.  
  
Well, the battle is starting back up and I must leave.'  
  
'Wow,' thought Piper, 'he met me in a dream. How strange. I must read on. Lets pick a later date. Hum, this seems interesting, August 20, 1943.'  
  
'August 20, 1943,  
  
I am being haunted by Piper in my dreams, and I love her so much now. I found a ring on the battlefield yesterday and it is absolutely beautiful. I have written a letter to the mysterious Piper, and have drawn a picture that looks exactly like her. I wound up the letter and put it in the ring. I have stashed these items in a box that stores all of my stuff. If Piper, my one true love, is a real person, or will be a real person, then I hope she finds these possessions in my box. She is the only one I can trust with them. I have found out her name is Piper Halliwell, and in my letter, I asked her to be my wife, or at least to keep the ring. I do hope she, and only she, finds these possessions and accepts the proposal, even if I am dead. I love her more than anything.'  
  
Piper lied down on the bed, silently crying to herself. 'I haunted him in his dreams. He loved me from only knowing me in his dreams. Oh Leo, I love you so much! I really do. This is so weird though. His past is talking to my present. And he wanted me to find the box. Fate has a funny way of working out for the best.' She dried her tears and called out, "Leo! Leo!" 


	3. The Explaination

"What?!" asked Leo as he orbed in, "what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, hunny, I just thought I should tell you about something I found," said Piper calmly.  
  
"Look, this better not take long 'cause I have some very important business to attend to. And, if possible, can we talk about it at dinner?"  
  
"No, it isn't that simple. And I think you should really listen, and possibly sit down," said Piper.  
  
"Okay, what is it?" asked Leo.  
  
"Well," started Piper, "I found an old box in the attic earlier, and I found some things that are probably very important to you. I found the letter, and the diary, and the ring, and the locket. And I need to ask you if I WAS the girl in your dreams."  
  
"You found what?!"  
  
"A box with the letter, the locket, the diary, and the ring in it."  
  
"You found that? I got rid of all that stuff. Oh, wait, no I didn't. I died before I could. Fine. I'll tell you the truth. You were the girl in my dream, though we haven't fought the green monster yet. When I was assigned to be your whitelighter, the Elders knew all about my dream and knew that we would end up getting married. But They tested us anyways. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before. Will you forgive me?"  
  
"Of course, Leo! Don't I always?" Piper said flinging her arms around him.  
  
"Yes. You do."  
  
"So can I keep the ring?"  
  
"Of course you can. And let me put the locket on you."  
  
"Thank you Leo."  
  
He put the locket around her neck, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Then, he orbed away.  
  
THE END 


End file.
